Chapter 23

"Who is bound to lose?" Wei He asked.

"You." Cheng Shaojiu pointed at him. "Cheng Qing has been practicing martial arts since she was young, for eight years now. Her qi and blood have reached the brink of the second breakthrough, and she could break through the limit at any time. She's much stronger than you now."

Wei He was silent, but the breakthrough of qi and blood could only be achieved through gradual and arduous practice. Practicing martial arts, especially in this world, was never an easy task.

"Anyway, you need to work harder. Accumulating qi and blood is like grinding a stone; as long as you are willing to put in the effort, you can accumulate it. The key is this breakthrough."

Cheng Shaojiu retracted his qi and blood, and the gray color slowly faded from his fists.

"Many people can't get past the stone skin stage, which is the second breakthrough of qi and blood.

Some people reach the qi and blood stage early but get stuck here and can't move forward. They can be stuck for years.

The more they get stuck, the more anxious they become, and the more anxious they become, the more they get stuck, creating a vicious cycle. Worse still, as they get older, their qi and blood peak at twenty and then gradually decline. At that time, they become even more anxious."

Cheng Shaojiu sighed.

"That's why Xiao Ran is so highly regarded. He's so young and has a great deal of potential ahead of him."

Wei He understood and fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Brother, how strong is Xiao Ran now?"

"He..." Cheng Shaojiu's face showed a hint of complexity when he mentioned Xiao Ran.

"Last time at our small meeting, I gave it my all and still lost to him in two moves."

"..." Wei He was shocked. Xiao Ran was always out playing and hardly practiced, yet he was still so strong. It was terrifying.

"Alright, let's not talk about him. Xiao Ran is a genius, and we can't compare to him.

Geniuses will be compared to other geniuses. We ordinary people should take it one step at a time and build a solid foundation.

If you and I can break through the stone skin limit in our lifetimes and refine the Mountain Return Fist to the level of our teacher, that would be very impressive."

Wei He nodded in agreement.

As he knew, Cheng Shaojiu had been stuck between the leather skin and stone skin stages, the second breakthrough of qi and blood, for three years.

And Cheng Qing had been stuck at this stage for four years and was still stuck.

The reason it's called a "stage" and a "stuck point" is because ordinary people often get stuck here. That's why it's named as such.

"Recently, many of our fellow disciples have chosen their own places to practice, and with the support of money and grain, their qi and blood have been increasing rapidly. You need to work hard too." Cheng Shaojiu reminded him.

"Brother, I understand..." Wei He nodded.

"Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go to the Inner City soon. It's Jiang Su's arrangement." Cheng Shaojiu smiled when he mentioned the Inner City, looking very pleased.

Wei He looked at him with a slight disdain.

He had been hearing about the Inner City a lot lately. What was so special about the Inner City that made this rich young man so happy every time he mentioned it?

It seemed Cheng Shaojiu noticed Wei He's thoughts.

He waved his hand impatiently.

"You'll understand once you go there. That place is a true gold mine. Once you go in, the experience is endless."

From his tone, Wei He knew what kind of place it was.

"You, you don't understand the taste of men and women. You're just a little kid. Hahaha!" Cheng Shaojiu pointed at Wei He and laughed.

Wei He's face darkened. He understood in his past life, but in this life, he really couldn't understand.

"Alright, little kid, go play somewhere else." Cheng Shaojiu teased, pretending to fan himself with a paper fan and then turned to leave.

Seeing his demeanor, Wei He suddenly thought about the recent collapse of the currency, where prices could only be traded through barter.

The most valuable currency was dried meat.

He imagined Cheng Shaojiu going to see a girl, not carrying money but carrying a dozen strips of dried meat.

From a distance, he would loudly throw the meat.

"Cuihua, your dried meat~~~"

"No, this is your dried meat~~"

The two would be happy and cuddle...

The scene...

Wei He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

After laughing for a while, he gathered his thoughts and was about to continue practicing.

"Practicing alone? Want to practice together?"

Suddenly, Cheng Qing's voice came from the side.

Her voice was very distinctive, decisive, and quick, making it unforgettable.

Wei He looked in the direction of the voice and saw Cheng Qing in a black long robe with a colorful flower collar, like a scarf. Her hair was neatly combed, as if she had just come from a new clothes shop.

"Is this a new outfit? Change into something else before we practice." Wei He reminded her. Wearing a flower collar was a bit odd.

"It's fine. I had it specially made. I waited a long time for it to be ready." Cheng Qing did a light jump and landed on the training ground.

"Alright, take this."

She was enthusiastic and charged forward in a few quick steps.

She kicked sideways, aiming for Wei He's waist.

The kick was very fast and powerful, clearly a real attack with no holding back.

Wei He focused and used his strongest right hand, clenching his fist and blocking outward.

Bang.

The fist and leg met, and Cheng Qing was wearing not绑腿短靴 but black red-flowered shoes.

The kick sent the embroidered shoes flying, revealing Cheng Qing's small feet in white stockings.

Both were stunned.

Cheng Qing was stunned because she had forgotten that her shoes couldn't withstand the impact.

Wei He was stunned, not because her feet were beautiful and delicate.

But because... they were too smelly...

A strong, rotten fish and shrimp-like stench wafted from her feet, hitting Wei He in the face.

His face changed, and he struggled to hold back his nausea, stepping back several paces.

Fortunately, the wind on the training ground was strong, quickly dispersing the intense foot odor.

But in that moment, Wei He's impression of Cheng Qing changed dramatically.

"Maybe, change your shoes and try again?" he said, holding his breath.

"......" Cheng Qing's face turned from white to red, and then from red to white.

She could smell the intense foot odor too.

This made her enthusiasm for practice turn into embarrassment and anger.

After a moment of shock, she quickly regained her composure, picked up her small flower shoes, and put them back on.

"Sorry... I've had a problem with sweaty hands and feet since I was young, and it's gotten worse as I've grown older. Now, things grow between my toes every day... I really can't help it..."

"......" Isn't that just athlete's foot?

Wei He was speechless.

You have athlete's foot and still kick people with your feet? Is there something wrong with you? Are you trying to spread it to others?

Wei He kept criticizing in his mind.

"I suggest you soak your feet in strong vinegar." He said seriously.

"......I've tried, it works for a while, but it grows back quickly."

"......"

Cheng Qing eventually left, her face full of embarrassment and anger. It seemed he wouldn't see her for a while.

Wei He sighed and continued his practice.

To make techniques second nature, he needed a lot of repetitive practice. There were no shortcuts.

......

......

......

Inner City.

Flower Boat Street.

The Inner City had no districts, only different streets.

There were five main streets, and Flower Boat Street was a true gold mine, the most prosperous and lively place in the entire Feiye City.

From the Outer City to the Inner City, it was like two different worlds.

The streets were bustling with people and vehicles, flowing continuously on Flower Boat Street.

The shops and stores on both sides were brightly lit, and various methods were used to attract customers.

In the air, there were floating lanterns tied with silk threads, inscribed with "GG."

Gambling dens, wine shops, dance halls, treasure buildings, and courtesan houses were everywhere.

The noise was deafening, as if it wasn't evening at all.

On the second floor of Yunluo Wine House,

Cheng Shaojiu sat by the window, his face slightly red from the lantern light outside.

His eyes were excited, looking at the flower boats parading below.

The flower boats were carried by people, adorned with countless flowers, hence the name "flower boats."

"Living this long, I've never seen the flower boat parade in the Inner City! It's worth the trip, worth the trip!" Cheng Shaojiu couldn't help but exclaim.

Sitting at his table were Jiang Su, Jiang Yan, and Xiao Ran.

Jiang Su smiled, looking at the lively scene outside, her eyes showing some warmth.

Such prosperity was rare even for her.

Xiao Ran had been there before and was more accustomed, but he still looked at the beautiful flower girls with a hint of desire, his gaze lingering on their sensitive areas.

Only Jiang Yan remained calm, holding a white paper fan, his hair tied with a white towel, and the ends of the fan and his clothes adorned with gold and jade, giving him a different air from ordinary young masters.

He and Cheng Shaojiu were both dressed as young masters, in long sleeves and long robes, with white headbands, but their attire and accessories clearly showed their different statuses.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Ran has successfully broken through, and we haven't properly celebrated yet. So I invited the three of you to Yunluo Wine House, and this is also a good opportunity for us to gather." Jiang Yan smiled.

"Just lucky, just lucky, hahaha..." Xiao Ran smiled, raised his wine glass, and drank with Jiang Yan.

"Thank you, Brother Jiang!"

"Xiao Ran has limitless potential. If you need anything in the future, this small banquet is nothing to be grateful for." Jiang Yan said politely.

After some polite exchanges, Jiang Su收回视线，开口道：

"现在听说城外的粮食重镇遭受了虫灾，粮仓日渐稀薄，外城区的瘟疫也越发蔓延，这内城居然还能维持如此繁华，总感觉有些不敢相信。"

"姜师妹有所不知。" 江严笑道，"内城区，我们七家联盟同气连枝，共进退，在粮食供应方面，欧家第一时间便转向从没有受灾的产粮地收购粮食。

只是优先供应内城，所以才稳住了这里的情况。"

"难怪这里居然还有酒坊...真是开了眼界。" 程少久感叹。心中回想起外城区那些饿死的尸体，心里有些不是滋味。

"少久兄这话就不对了，这美人美酒，相得益彰，若是少了其中一味，岂不是少了一大乐趣？" 萧然不客气地拍了拍程少久的后背，笑道。

他现在春风得意，对师兄师姐，除了江严和大师兄外，其他人都是直呼其名，毫不客气。

其他人也因为他的天赋过人，年纪轻轻便突破了石皮二次气血，对他另眼相待，不加见识。

"你们男人都一个德行！" 姜苏不满道。

"萧老弟这只是男人本色，直爽大方，比起那些心里想，嘴上假意拒绝的老家伙，可要直率多了。" 江严笑着为他辩解。